"It's completely perposterous that a technology company like FLSUN would use robots to spin a review that makes their product look inferior" - FLSUN Bots in 20 minutes, probably
It can be from a competitor too. It sounds extremely conspiratorial, I know. But using bots is cheap and we are not equipped to detect nuance in this level. Machine world sucks 😢
FLSUN’s request to review your script was a heads up on what to expect. I appreciate that you state your impressions and opinions clearly along with the supporting reasons. Viewers get to select content meaningful to them. Bots, trolls, and mindless filler are part of the Internet for better or worse. You’re not going to change that, all you can do is monitor for AI generated Clough42 content/reviews. Let us know if FLSUN follows up further, that will say the most about them.
Lots of Chinese product makers pounce on bad reviews and guilt-trip people into deleting them or find ways to bribe them into submission. It's a terrible practice and is why lots of products today are really low quality. I reviewed a cheaper Chinese bidet from ZMJH and they offered refunds and emailed me to hopefully take down the truthful review about their product shortcomings.
Makes you really appreciate companies like QIDI, that instead of getting mad at your review and hiding behind corporate speak they just take the feedback and fix the problems
The internet has been good in that regard, bad companies tend to expose themselves one way or another, through things like bot comments, fake reviews, or just unprofessional behaviour or social media posts from employees.
I bought a QIDI X-Max3, in part, for that reason. It was refreshing to see a video or two of the X-Plus3, which didn't launch perfectly, get subsequent reviews months later by folks who has pointed out the weaknesses, who said, in effect, "wow, they must have listened because they fixed all that stuff that I complained about".
Qidi is well known to have some of the best customer service in the biz. They aren't a perfect company, but they are very responsive to their customer base.
Fully Agree. I don't have a Qidi, nor will I probably ever buy one because it's simply not the right machine for me personally, but the attitude they showed, the action they took based on this channels' feedback was (sadly) exceptional in terms of positivity and being constructive. I still feel the Qidi Max is puke ugly, maintenance unfriendly (due to its size and the odd "lets copy Bambu but not do it too well" toolhead construction. A lot of it could have been done better, but if I would be in the market for a machine similar to the Qidi, I'd get one of those, 100% sure because they showed their customers indeed to matter to them.
I know you mentioned the comments were removed/deleted etc I spent the last 15 mins or so and couldnt see anything like that on my S1 video its possible they did something similar & it was auto removed. Creality or someone pushing for creality did this EXACT thing on a bunch of videos last year when they launched their K1 / K1 Max. There would be very very similar bot/ai generated comments on Bambu videos or being overly positive on K1 Printer videos. Appreciate you calling this out!
Aw man its another bot :p Nah fr tho after reviewing it seems very suspicious and the language is very recycled and inorganic and speaking from a point of authority. Right? big slimy chocolate salttbballs in and around sacks( bots wouldketn do typos and say edgelrd sheet) get filtered now we just need to get everyone to post edgelord posts with typos and gramatically inconsistency Bots b like " we must be patient with flsun" who the f r u dude? Ur not my dad. I'm good thanks
As a bot I recognise that Flsun is at the forefront of bot development and I'm sure that with time they'll develop bots with the same quality as Bambu does.
@@mattw7949 Oh, how sweet the tangerine, A burst of sun, a citrus sheen. Though poets may lament its name, And struggle with the rhyming game. Its flavor dances, bright and keen, A joy that's tasted, not just seen. With zest and juice, it does redeem, The stubborn word, our tangerine. No rhyme may come, but still it's clear, This fruit brings happiness and cheer. So let's embrace its vibrant sheen, And savor sweet, dear tangerine.
Well, that one came from your boots, eh? You've more than earned your stripes from my viewpoint and I really appreciate you sharing your vast knowledge and experience. Thank you, James. Please keep on doing what you do.
@@BeefIngotI mean, it was 8 words… did you know that even only 6 words, in order, is often enough to uniquely identify a text? (Notwithstanding things being quoted, of course, and with certain other exceptions. Hence “often”, not always.)
As a RU-vid user, I appreciate Clough42's innovative spirit and have high hopes that future videos will bring further advancement to the calling out of bot farm comments. This comment was not paid for by clo
Very interesting follow-up. I am a 75 year old woodworker, not a machinist, don't own a 3d printer, but enjoy watching videos such as the review of the FLSUN just to se what is new. Honest reviews are important and I trusted what you were saying.
The v400 from flsun is by far the best printer sold under 1k. This one seems worse than the old ones on a dollar basis, though that's almost always true for new releases from any brand.
@@VoluntaristSocietybest at what exactly? I want to see if flsun's hot garbage can print with better quality than a calibrated bedslinger, or print faster than a voron 0. One costs 200 dollars and the other 400 by the way
@youtubehandlesux you cannot print anything large on a bed slinger.... have you even tried to print something near the maximum volume of any bed slinger? No. You can't. It will literally break every time. Bedslingers are the ultimate scam. They scam you by saving $10 with the bed integrated into the axis. But it destroys the printers ability to print any large object. All of their build volume specs are outright scams, from the ender3 to the a1. Literally any print will be better on the v400 than any bed slinger.... I have not used the s1
Nah, they have made good printers in the past. I’m pretty suprised with this one’s reviews tbh. But, maybe, our expectations are a lot higher since the last one was released because pretty much everyone has slated it. But prior to this release, you could’ve done far worse!
FLSUN should have looked at your series of the Qidi X-Plus-3 to look at the correct response from a reviewer (specifically you). Your review of all the problems with the X-Plus-3, it being pulled from sale, quickly being repaired/upgraded, and then your updated review saying how they quickly have resolved the products issues. - I bought a Qidi X-Plus-3 based on that demonstration of their healthy, quick, and positive response to healthy criticism. This is a lesson that companies should want to analyze and learn from for their own self interests.
I have an FLSUN Q5. It's been a great entry-level first printer for me. That's why I was excited to see your review and appreciated your honest feedback both good and bad. It's disappointing to see FLSUN using such tactics. I think calling them out in the way you did is the best way to discourage the practice. Keep up the good work. Thanks for all you do.
Great video highlighting how low a company will go to promote a lackluster product based on false claims. FLSUN and all their products are dead to me. Thanks for the insight.
There is a very good chance it was FLSUN, especially given past accusations but I would say don’t base your whole image of a brand on one event like this. It could easily be an obsessive fan that didn’t like seeing the not so positive review or it could actively be sabotage from another company, hence how low effort the bot messages were. On the internet you will never really know the truth.
@@WhereNerdyisCool I mean every company pushes the hype to sell their products and its part of the deal. But like you said it goes past that and is annoying.
@@conorstewart2214 Thats true it could be just a fanboi. But considering the other problems on the software side of FLSUN I don't see as much improvement I would have hoped going from their first machine, the others and now the S1 & T1. Just saying for me, they are off my list but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be good for someone else. I don't want to tinker with a printer to get it to work properly, so I'm holding out for a company who can provide that, and an AMS for multi filament. If FLSUN was doing the S1 back in 2020 then yea I would expect some stumbling out of the block. Just have to wait and see if they make some major improvements on the software side. I hope they do.
as a lifelong developer of very good bots I resent that. The very fact that you don't know how great my bots are and what they have done is testament to this fact. What is amusing is it's easy to spot shoddy workmanship :) Also pretty sure the work got farmed out. Even more amusing, adding one comment per minute would be frankly easier to do by hand :P
Heck yeah hold these companies to account! Had this happen a few times on not so flattering reviews now (mostly creality...), I reckon it's resellers or marketing individuals going rogue rather than coming from the main companies. It's always so sloppy and badly done it feels done in desperation. Been thinking a lot about the bot death of the internet and for YT I really do reckon if they charged $1 per upload it'd fix the issue instantly and affect no legitimate user. Not that they ever listen to us. 😂
Hey, Angus! Thanks for stopping by. I think you're right. BTW, there was a comment on the original review saying nice things about you and the trust they have in your reviews.
Dissapointing to see from FLSUN but not surprising. Maybe they contracted with a 'reputation' agency and they didn't realize how stupidly that firm would approach managing the narrative - but they have to be ultimately responsible. They can't hide behind the old 'it was a 3rd party' excuse.
This is a big part of business ethics training in most corporations: being careful about contracting with third party promotion companies without clearly defined contracts, expectations, and auditable financial records.
James, excellent discussion about something troubling to see. Bottom line, do your homework, be skeptical and make decisions only after seeing the same thing, multiple times from people you have learned to trust. You can combat the machines, but it takes a lot of work. They have a lot more time than we do.
I look forward to watching your channel every Sunday morning (It arrives here in OZ on a Sunday). Your unbiased responses are a breath of fresh air in this land of miss information. I thank you for a very open and unbiased opinions on the state of some of the players out there. And I love your skill set-which is why I watch . Keep up the uncompromising good work. We appreciate you.
I did not expect that this video would address so many of my philosophical views of where the internet and content is heading. Keep it up Clough42 - I love real humans :) !!!!
George Orwell has just finished his new book "Bot Farm", and is quoted as saying "Buy it today, it's amazing. It was released 17 minutes ago and there are already 2 million excellent reviews!"
You always provide reasoned and well thought out reviews. This is just the beginning of bots taking over comments. Disappointing, but not surprising. Keep up the good work and I'll keep watching.
FLSun's response to your S1 video is a stark contrast to Qidi Tech's response to your X-Plus 3 video. Keep up the great work, Clough. I and many others will continue to trust you, no matter what the bots try to tell us.
This is not a bot comment 😁 I had FLsun V400 for repair from a friend, motherboard went into a silicon heaven after about 2 hours of printing, when I got the printer. FLsun did send brand new mainboard, blazing fast. When that printer was repaired and I started to print few things, mostly calibration and see the quality and speed, I was not amazed. The printer looks large, build area is not that large ofc, it is very heavy, but where is the promised quality and speed? I think, people need to think about what they are getting for their money. Bambu P1P is just a bit more expensive and it will beat V400 anytime, I am not talking about the option of Bambu AMS. FLsun V400 is not that good, as they say. FLsun S1? No thank you, get rather Bambu X1 Carbon with AMS or build yourself a Voron with ERCF, maybe a Ratrig.
People can earn trust not Buy it. I noticed early on, that you are just as ready to expose problems with your own product developments as you are with Products supplied to you for review. That is why I still follow your channel. It is called honesty. Your review save suppliers time and effort in identifying problems and faults and provide advice on necessary improvements. If they act on these things in a positive way, they will also gain respect.
Considered the S1, it look awesome on the paper, but after your review of it I was like, meeh, still considered it lightly, now? not gonna support them... Gonna stick with some of the other brands, thx for the time you put into this. :)
FLSUN's bot technology is innovating at a rapid pace, and as such, problems like these are to be expected in the early stages. I am confident that FLSUN can address these issues as quickly as possible.
I think FLSUN should be praised and revered for their innovation in this field. Maybe companies like Bambu can take their cues from FLSUN and bring industry changing comments to critical videos as well. (beep boop)
Funny thing is that the comments all seem to have such a similar sound and flow to them, very artificial. This does at least make it easier to tell bots from the humans. You produce some really useful videos, thanks.
The focus on integrity and professionalism is a big part of why I keep coming back to this channel. You can see James has had a successful career outside of RU-vid before starting this channel.
I truely appreciate your honest, straight forward, in depth content and reviews. Based on your review and a half a dozen others I watched I decided to purchase Qidi Q1 Pro. I had a firmware issues early on but they resolved that and I've been using it multiple times a week ever since. It's a fantastic 1st time 3D printer in my opinion for what that's with. I was able to jump in, learn Fusion and the printer enough for excellent results although I'm sure I've got much to learn still. Keep the excellent content & reviews coming.
James, you're entirely correct about the focused content when it comes to asking a very specific question about a technical issue. I've recently been trying to get information about under-piston oil spray cooling in diesel engines. Can phrase the query any way you like and you'll get the same 50+ links at the top, with only a variance in the order you see them. Very little information to be seen in any of them. I'm not trying to steal anyone's IP - and frankly it's not that difficult a thing to work out for yourself, had I the time to do the math and a fairly modest amount of experimentation. Just trying to save myself the time and effort, given that I'm interested only with regard to building a couple of Straight-6 diesel engines that will fit in a model locomotive that's about 1/11.3 of the real thing but will run at about the same speed and still develop the 3-5hp that is necessary for it to be useful. And with regard to the commercial motive; I bought a digital leadscrew kit from you, so yeah.
I'm not particularly fond of all of the free 3D printers you get, but you've earned them in my opinion. Your INTEGRITY is what makes you one of the best on RU-vid.
As you said, old tech ramped up. Inertia is the enemy of speed for 3D printing. That's why Creality and Bamboo Labs dropped the bed slinger in their fast printers. The lighter the print head and the faster it can melt the filament, the faster it will print.
I completely agree with you Your comment on the extensive use of the web by machines is very interesting. I add an element that seems essential to me, it is the ecological aspect, this means that 90% you mention is also 90% unnecessary resource and power consumption. It's terrible 😢
I really appreciate you taking the time to address this problem. Thank you. I hope that we, as a society, can do something to band together against these "bad actors" on the internet and put an end to it. The era of original content is dead because of all of the issues you mentioned that drive this crap, and anyone who has carried the title of "creator" is on the verge of Skynet snuffing them out.
I had issues with FLSUN in a similar fashion. They told me lies about shipping out the S1. Had to resort to social media messaging to get their attention and to investigate where my order was. They gave me a generic excuse that was obviously AI, I called them out on a response to me that was 100% chat GPT generated. I literally said to them that the response was AI generated, they replied with a love heart. Was very weird!
Delta kinematics were invented in Switzerland in the 80's to package chocolate. I don't know how much FLSUN deserves to pat themselves on the back for building a closed loop delta printer in 2024. I got my S1 a week before your video came out. My heart sank when i saw it. Fortunately mine hasn't given me too much trouble (at least compared to my Magneto X) aside from the AI features being broken. It should still be useful for what I'm doing but i might not have spent $1500 on it if i had known about this earlier.
Wow, you got a Magneto X? Ladies and gentlemen, in the enthusiast category, we have a winner! Tell us something about it! When I watched Thomas Sanladerer’s video I was fascinated that the Magneto X has a very distinctive signature/pattern on the printed surfaces as well - that’s something people will need to make their peace with ✌️ Do you notice it too much? The Deltas also have a distinctive pattern.
I got a new Q5 really cheap off ebay and I have to admit I am a fan, I thought the products they sold were a great price but machines since have crept up in cost is which is why I never bought anything else from them. Q5 is now in storage in the loft along with my heavily modified ender 3. My main is a ender 3 pro with the creality sonic pad. At work I got them to buy Bamboo X1C which is a fantastic machine but I did still have a soft spot for Flsun but after watching this I think my appreciation will vanish.
For me the highest value element of content in this video is your analysis and discussion around the volume of machine-generated traffic on the Internet. It is unfortunate that a medium with so much potential has degraded into a cesspool of scams and propaganda. I used to believe that if I saw a video with a human talking (instead of a voice over presentation) that it was genuine and I could at least use it as a possible source of reliable information. I suppose it may be time to re-think that.
Fascinating but disturbing! No interest in 3d printing, didn't watch your review, but this one was super interesting. Will read up some more including your suggested Dead Internet Theory - thanks for cluing me in to a new concept.
The comments do look sus. However, I have a v400 for almost two years, it has served me well. Most of what I print is round and the printer has met my needs. I also want to touch on the customer service, within a month of getting the printer my effector just broke, they shipped me a new one really fast and it has been working ever since with regular proper maintenance. I will agree there are things that need to be adjusted for using a delta printer. I do not print at 400mm/s; 200-250mm/s yields great results using PLA+.
To add to the comments already posted; and from one human to another, this video is a great insight into a world that I don't really understand with your informed and insightful comments really appreciated. I have been watching your channel regularly for a number of years and appreciate all the content and well researched information.
Flsun seems to think it customers are their beta testers. Threw it on the market before it was ready. Thanks for he honest review, keep up the good work.
Using innovative techniques like bots to improve user sentiment is to be expected from an innovative company like FLSUN. I hope FLSUN can continue to do innovative unethical things so that we can have more innovative 3d printers as a result.
I watched the FLSUN review and though at the time that this would be the last FLSUN printer set to you for review! I think we can safely assume FLSUN didn't like the review but you have to ask yourself why would any company send a product that performs so poorly out for review? Great shame really because it looked the part and I'm sure all the issues could be fixed but company's need to fix the problems before shipping for a review for public release. You said you told them your review policy so the outcome shouldn't have come as any surprise to FLSUN. Any FLSUN disappointment rising from your review is totally on them. Keep up the good work James!
I had subscribed to your channel a long time ago when you had the hobby equipment. I like how when you make mistakes you correct them and explain why (like Blondie Hacks). I really don't like the look at what I have and how much it costs (which seems to be gone now. I have a FLSUN Cube and Delta which I haven't used in about 5 years (not good printers). I had 2 Creality Ender 3 V2 printers which work very well (upgraded them). I watched you review on the QIDI Q1 Pro along with many other reviews about that printer and pre-ordered one. I was in California at the time and was leaving for my main home in the upper mid-west. The first said delivery would be at the end of April but a few weeks later they changed it to the end of May. I contacted QIDI's customer support to change the address and they shipped it out that day (great customer support)! I got it in 4 days, no shipping or taxes!! This machine works fantastic! If it weren't for your or other reviews I wouldn't have bought it. Thank you for your honest reviews. By the way, I gave the 2 Creality printers away, 1 to my son and 1 to my grandson. I also recommend your channel to everyone that's interested in fabrication work (3d or metal).
I'm a member of a tech forum where the admins are constantly playing whackamole with bot accounts spamming any conversation about printing with praise about flsun. So, yeah. It's how they do business, apparently.
“Babe, look, I made the cut!!!” Edit: The pause to sip the coffee was brilliant. Who am I kidding, that was water, we all know James like the Starbucks iced stuff. God I’m out of touch. Or “cap” as the kids like to say.
I have always been a devout skeptic and often mocked by family members for it. To my delight my son, a very talented and highly qualified electronics engineer is an even greater Doubting Thomas. In my opinion most of the RU-vidrs to whom I subscribe are decent and supremely honest, you being one at the top of that list. Social media is leading us all down a rabbit hole and each and every one of us needs to be on our guard in sorting the wheat from the chaff. Thank you for the videos you post. I have always been an admirer of your absolute professionalism and candour, long may it continue, and in answer to your own question, no you are not self-serving.
Good food for thought. Also I didn't realize you were here in the treasure valley! I'd like to stop by with my son if you have the time... cheers and thank you for the content
Thanks for making this video. Seeing a company's response to a review can be as important as the review itself. Calling out this kind of behavior is important.
I just wanted to say, Keep up the good work. There are to many bogus reviews for free products. Your reviews are honest and a good resource. Don't let the bots bother you. I enjoy your channel.
Keep doing what you're doing. I'm a person, and have met you physically so I know you are too. You have good motivations and a lot of very helpful content. To heck with the AI...
i cant really say i care to much about printers, but you rational, honest and logical way of tackling this issue made me subscribe to you. i really hope youtube get on top of this and also the other sites. if bots take over internet the whole point of connection with other people gets thrown out the window.
I purchased a Bambu X1 Carbon because of your review. I needed a new 3D printer and I value the content in your reviews. Hence, I own a Bambu X1 Carbon and have zero complaints or issues. BTW, I posted a comment/question on your solid tool post video and haven't received an answer. Are you and Windy Hill Foundry selling those castings? Thanks for keeping your content honest and unbiased.👍
They could have paid a developer to make prints profiles instead of paying a bot farm, it just like what Bambu does on Reddit where on 3dprinting has all became advertising and if humans (at least not employees) dare to dissent they get banned. At least on youtube you can still report bots and you don't have employees that bans you when they don't like what you say.
I didn't comment but I saw enough to decide this product wasn't for me. If someone decides that they think they can control how or what I think OR running a disinformation campaign to play another narrative they can take that product and toss it in the ocean. Please just delete the BOT comments. This crap is so tiresome.
Thanks. It needed to be said. Recent searches on specific product types and models are returning websites pretty much devoid of useful information. This is especially prevalent in extremely positive and extremely negative product reviews (though some of the longer ones will often suggest more cautionary research) .
I have found your open and honest opinions to be reliable. I have based purchase of tools and now a 3d printer on them.Thanks you. Do to your review and on screen use of Bamboo X1c, I too purchase one, and yes I love it. But now it’s not perfect. Then again I don’t take the time to dial it in as you have.
Keep doing what you do. I know you put a lot of work into the FLSUN video, and it gave me a great operational view of the machine, which is out of my price range AND decidedly not very polished. And we totally know you AI generated just using some clips of the real James 🙂
Dziękuję Ci za ten film. Potwierdziłeś to co myślę, że YT i internet stał się śmietnikiem. Nie rezygnuj z twojej pracy! Oglądam Twoje filmy i wiem na 100%, że to nie jest zły marketing. Pomogłeś mi w kwestii FLSUN- domyślałem się, że to nie jest dobry wybór. Nie znam Angielskiego, piszę po Polsku. Mam nadzieję, że translator nie jest kolegą z FLSUN i przetłumaczy to co napisałem bez oszustwa. 😀 Dzięki takim ludziom jak Ty jest szansa, że internet przetrwa i nie zostanie pochłonięty przez boty stworzone przez ludzi żądających coraz więcej pieniędzy.. Pozdrawiam Cię bardzo z Polski!
How to trash your company's reputation with minimal expenditure. Thanks for the heads up on Kyle Hill's new video. He's another excellent content creator, particularly loved his half life series. Always find it funny that we all seem to watch the same bunch of YT creators.
Just a quick comment on you as a voice for 3d printer .Yes you are like it or not. I listened to you on the X1 carbon and haven't looked back . Great printer. I will follow that up with . YES I did do other research as well . As with everything in life before you spend $1500.00 ( at the time I purchased it with the 4 spool feeder) I look before I leap. Great job on this as with most thing you do ! Thanks
RE: Internet content - Especially RU-vid - I have around 150 or so subscriptions. I am 100% sure about the source of those videos. So really I'm not too concerned about being fed bovine excrement. As far as RU-vid "suggestions" ; since I watch a fairly defined set of creators, I tend to get relatively good suggestions. Step off the path however and the "stuff" that YT starts sending is atrocious. As I mentioned in a previous comment - Keep up the good work. I value your mix of machining, electronics, and computers.
Yeah, unfortunately though you have to constantly steer it back onto the path. The "algorithm" really wants you to watch the worst stuff, and often it hides things you obviously want to watch from you for no apparent reason. For example, today's Blondihacks video did not appear anywhere in my suggestions, and I mean, the entire page. Of hundreds of suggestions. And I have watched every other video in the series.
@@jessicav2031 I've noticed that about 1/3 of my subscriptions are missing from the subscriptions tab. I'm still subscribed however. Wouldn't it be nice if they just gave you your sub list in alphabetical order!?
Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google should collaborate on the browsing history of their users, with a simple algorithm that, just like on the first ATM networks, would communicate through a few bites to certify activity that is possible to do only by humans. Some might think this would attempt on privacy, but as long as everyone is just an assigned number that doesn't disclose the identity, it would keep everything on the right side of the law. To avoid accumulating digital footprints, this data could be stored on user devices that could just update the latest hash number with these companies, that are actually the bone structure of what is internet today. Personally, I think that the vast majority of people that want to live in a human driven community would agree to this. Anyway. Great video! There is always something to learn or at least to think about from your videos.
google already has all the means to detect and block bots. however they seem to be focused on annoying users to pointlessly upgrade their accounts and block anti-adblockers instead.
James, OMG! There are so many garbage generated articles/links. I was recently trying to find a replacement battery for a UPS and almost every single link was for completely the wrong battery.
As a RU-vid user, I appreciate FLSUNs innovative spirit and have high hopes for these comments and more to come. I understand the potential shortcomings of early AI algorithms and believe FLSUN and others can make quick improvements.
